Batting

Kissimmee, Fla. - March 11, 2018 - The Springfield College softball earned a pair of wins at the Diamond 9 Sunkissed Games on Sunday, as the Pride defeated Trinity (Conn.), 5-0, before coming back and knocking off Arcadia, 11-3, in five innings.

With the wins, the Pride is off to a 2-0 start, as the maroon and white was led by an impressive day from senior Talia Loda (East Haven, Conn.), as she pitched a complete-game two-hitter in Springfield's first game of the day, before registering three RBI on two hits in the victory over Arcadia. Also impressive on the day was sophomore Allie Wheeler (Agawam, Mass.), who posted three hits and four RBI in two games.

Springfield College will resume action on Monday, March 12 as the Pride will take on St. Norbert at 9 a.m. before playing Salve Regina at 11:15 a.m.

Springfield 5, Trinity (Conn.) 0 -- Game One

Behind an impressive pitching performance from Loda, the Springfield College softball team picked up its first win of the 2018 season, a 5-0 result over Trinity (Conn.) on Sunday morning at the Osceola County Softball Complex. Making its annual trip to Florida for Spring Break, the Pride began a 10-game slate over the next six days as part of the Diamond 9 Sunkissed Games.

Loda finished with a complete-game shutout, as the senior matched her career high with 10 strikeouts while only allowing two hits. Trinity's Rachael Smith (Winchester, Mass.) took her first loss of the season as she pitched 6.0 frames, giving up 11 hits and five earned runs while also striking out four.

After two scoreless innings between the two sides, Springfield College broke through in the bottom of the third inning when Wheeler singled up the middle, scoring Loda from second, before a defensive miscue from the Bantams allowed for Carianna Gasdia (Wakefield, Mass.) to steal home, making it 2-0, Pride. Next up, Alexyss Conley (Bloomingburg, N.Y.) doubled down the left-field line, scoring Wheeler to give the Pride a three-run advantage.

Springfield College would tack on another run in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run from Kirsten Drobiak (Griswold, Conn.), before Gasdia drove in Kayla Padroff (Southington, Conn.) with a well-executed squeeze play to give the Pride a five-run cushion.

From there, Loda locked in as she would strike out one and force two pop ups in the top of the seventh to seal the Pride's first win of the season.

Springfield 11, Arcadia 3 -- Game Two

Springfield College cruised to an 11-3 win over Arcadia in five innings in the Pride's second game of the day, as the maroon and white received another standout pitching performance from Shelby Allen (Oakland, N.J.), while Loda and Wheeler both registered a pair of hits and three RBI in the victory.

Additionally, Drobiak went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Gasdia scored a team-high three runs and also had a pair of hits in the victory. Allen threw 5.0 innings, giving up just four hits while striking out five to improve to 1-0 on the season.

Springfield College got to work in the top of the first inning when Wheeler singled down the left-field line to score Gasdia, before the sophomore picked up another RBI in the top of the third when her sacrifice fly plated Gasdia, who had reached earlier in the inning on an error. Conley kept the momentum alive with a triple down the left-field line to score Drobiak, before Allen helped her self, scoring Conley on a single up the middle. From there, Loda would clear a bases-loaded situation with a triple down the right-field line to give the Pride a 7-0 cushion, before Gasdia rounded out the seven-run frame with an infield single, scoring Loda.

Arcadia would get three runs back in the bottom of the fourth inning, but in the Pride's net at bat, Drobiak poked a two-run double to left center, scoring Gasdia and Loda, before Wheeler drove in Drobiak with a single to center, pushing Springfield's lead back to eight.

With the game on the line, Allen took the circle in the bottom of the fifth and was able to force three outs, sealing the Pride's second win of the day.